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American Government

The Crittenden Automotive Library is politically neutral. President Donald J. Trump appears on the American Government subject image because he is the President of the United States, and is not an endorsement of him, his administration, his policies, or the Republican Party. President Barack Obama appeared here during his term.

Government has an enormous influence on what we drive and how we drive it. Almost every patch of public highway was planned, designed, and paid for by a government agency. The cars we drive have safety, emissions, and fuel economy regulations written by a variety of agencies and the rules of the road are written and enforced by state and local law enforcement.

Governments are also major users and buyers in the auto industry, purchasing fleets of police cars and emergency vehicles, military trucks, and plain government cars for official use.

Executive Branch

President of the United States

The Presidents

President Grover Cleveland, in his second term (serving as the 24th President of the United States) took office in 1893 and was in office for such key automotive events as the publication of the Selden Patent in the United States and Karl Benz's invention of his motor car in Germany, universally recognized as the first practical automobile and beginning of the automobile industry. Since then, presidencies have begun and ended with influence from the automobile: the massive auto industry "bailout" being a major campaign issue in 2008 & 2012, while at the same time even in the 21st century people still debate the role of the Presidential Lincoln Continental convertible in President Kennedy's assassination in 1963.

The following Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Presidental Candidates have topic pages in The Crittenden Automotive Library:

29 December 2016 (11:19AM)Explainer: The BeastVOA NewsMoving a United States president from point to point using streets and highways involves a certain amount of risk. To maximize safety for the commander in chief, the U.S. Secret Service uses an extremely specialized vehicle.Download Automakers Tackle Self-driving Car Crash Avoidance - 11.1MB - 1:06

The USDA is responsible for farming, forestry, and food safety. Because of the rural nature of the country at the time of the invention of the automobile, road issues were monitored by the Office of Road Inquiry (ORI), founded in 1893, and operated as an office of the Department of Agriculture.

In 1905 the name of the ORI was changed to the Office of Public Roads, and the office became a full division of the Department of Agriculture. The division's name became the Bureau of Public Roads in 1915 and then the Public Roads Administration in 1939 when it was transferred to the Federal Works Agency.

Following this office's history further, what started as a small office in the USDA would eventually become the very important Federal Highway Administration under the Department of Transportation in 1966.

8 February 201614-15336 Friends of Tahoe Forest Access v. USDAUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitOff-highway vehicle users appeal the district court's summary judgment in favor of the US Forest Service and environmental groups in an action alleging that the Forest Service erred in issuing its off-road vehicle rule for Tahoe National Forest.Download 14-15336 Friends of Tahoe Forest Access v. USDA - 420MB - 39:37

The DOC is responsible for economic growth in the United States, and to this effect have a responsibility in regulating international trade, operating the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under which the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).

The offices that regulate international trade have a wide influence in the automotive industry when it comes to importing parts, supplies, and finished automobiles, motorcycles, and trucks.

Press releases and information from the USPTO may not appear here on this page, but the patent documents they publish are found spread all across The Crittenden Automotive Library, forming a large part of our collection. Also forming a large part of our collection, uncredited, are auto industry and safety documents from various government agencies compiled, held, maintained, and made available by the NTIS Library.

Also with an uncredited contribution to the industry is the NIST, which has an influence on science and engineering that influence how cars and the roads they drive on are designed.

The Department of Defense (and its predecessors the War Department and the Department of the Navy), have been frequent buyers and innovators in the field of wheeled vehicles since Major A.P. Davidson created the "autogun" by attaching a small rapid fire artillery gun to a Duryea chassis in 1900.

Since then the Mack truck earned its bulldog reputation supporting the armies of the allies in France during World War I, the United States military has given us the iconic Jeep, the Humvee, and a whole lot of other wheeled military vehicles.

Date

Media or Collection Name & Details

Files

1945

Automotive Operation & Maintenance Preventive Maintenance No. 2: The Battery, Ignition and Electrical SystemGene K. Walker for the Division of Visual Aids of the U.S. Office of Education

The DOE is primarily responsible for nuclear energy in the United States, and since Ford's concept of a nuclear car in the 1950's failed, the Department's connection to the automobile industry since its creation in 1977 has been limited to hydrogen fuel cell research and a few regulations involving LNG tanker trucks. Just imagine if those World's Fair exhibits were right and nuclear power was under the hoods of our cars...

Department of Energy's FreedomCAR: Hurdles, Benchmarks for Progress, and Role in Energy PolicyHearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

HHS oversees the Centers for Disease Control, which has expanded beyond its "disease" label to branch out into all aspects of public health. This includes compiling casualty statistics for motor vehicle crashes and making recommendations for preventing more deaths & injuries.

DHS is a new Department formed in the years after the attacks of September 11, 2001. It is meant to consolidate civilian defense agencies such as the Coast Guard, FEMA, and Immigration & Customs Enforcement into one place. This Department's involvement with the automobile mostly just has to do with the Coast Guard's involvement in bridge repairs and security for major automotive and motorsports events held on the shores of oceans or the Great Lakes.

However, through the Coast Guard, the DHS holds the distinction of being the only federal agency to sponsor a Championship-winning car in one of NASCAR's top 3 series, sponsoring the Richard Childress Racing #21 car of Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. This is a distinction unmatched by over a decade of military branch sponsorship of top-level NASCAR racing.

With an automobile industry producing over eleven million vehicles in 2013, employing well over 800,000 directly in the production of vehicles (over a million in better times for the industry) and countless more workers in the production of parts, production of supplies, and vehicle & production facility maintenance, the Labor Department has a lot of workers to look after. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the division responsible for compiling statistics of autoworkers, where they work, how much they earn, and keeping track of this data by state and division of the automobile industry in which they work.

The Treasury includes the infamous Internal Revenue Service, which is responsible for collecting taxes on one of the most thoroughly taxed activities in the country: buying and owning and operating an automobile.

The Trade Rep and his office are responsible for the United States' participation in the World Trade Organization, which regulates imports and exports of all types of goods between member nations, including automobiles, tires, and other auto parts.

Clean Air Act: Sulfur in the Tier 2 Standards for AutomobilesHearings before the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety of the Committee on Environment and Public Works - United States Senate

Booster Seats and the Forgotten Child: Closing a Safety GapHearing before the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce and Tourism of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - United States Senate

Report of the National Academy of Sciences on the Effectiveness and Impact of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) StandardsJoint Hearing before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources - United States Senate

Customer Choice in Automotive Repair ShopsHearing before the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce, and Tourism of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - United States Senate

Customer Choice in Automotive Repair ShopsHearing before the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce, and Tourism of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - United States Senate

Protecting the Consumer from Flooded and Salvage Vehicle FraudHearing before the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Product Safety, and Insurance of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - United States Senate

Reforming Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) StandardsHearing before the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - United States Senate

NHTSA Oversight: An Examination of the Highway Safety Provisions of SAFETEA-LUHearing before the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - United States Senate

7 September 2017 (1:09AM)House of Representatives Passes Bill on Self-Driving VehiclesZlatica Hoke, VOA NewsU.S. congressmen have approved a bill to deploy self-driving cars and prevent states from blocking them. The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday passed the bill that would allow automakers to obtain exemptions to deploy up to 25,000 vehicles without meeting auto safety standards in the first year. That number would increase to 100,000 vehicles annually over the next three years. Automakers and technology companies hope to begin deploying vehicles around 2020. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports.Download House of Representatives Passes Bill on Self-Driving Vehicles - 39.3MB - 1:54

Statement of J. Dexter Peach, Director, Resources, Community and Economic Development Division before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection, and Finance, House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Activities Involving Ford Transmission "Park-to-Reverse" IncidentsU.S. General Accounting Office

Foreign Direct Investment in the U.S. Automobile Industry: Statement of Allan I. Mendelowitz, Senior Associate Director, National Security and International Affairs Division before the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade, House Committee on Foreign AffairsU.S. General Accounting Office

The Recent Firestone Tire Recall Action, Focusing on the Action as it Pertains to Relevant Ford VehiclesHearings before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Commerce - United States House of Representatives

The Recent Firestone Tire Recall Action, Focusing on the Action as it Pertains to Relevant Ford VehiclesHearings before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Commerce - United States House of Representatives

Ford Motor Company's Recall of Certain Firestone TiresJoint Hearing before the Subcommittees on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection and Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

Over-Regulation of Automobile Insurance: A Lack of Consumer ChoiceHearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Financial Services - United States House of Representatives

Department of Energy's FreedomCAR: Hurdles, Benchmarks for Progress, and Role in Energy PolicyHearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

Reauthorization of the National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationHearing before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

Repairing the 21st Century Car: Is Technology Locking the Customer Out?Hearing before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

Right to Repair: Industry Decisions and Legislative OptionsHearing before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

A Bill to Authorize the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to set Passenger Car Fuel Economy StandardsHearing before the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

Climate Change and Energy Security: Perspectives from the Automobile IndustryHearing before the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality of the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

Legislative Hearing on Discussion Draft Concerning Alternative Fuels, Infrastructure, and VehiclesHearing before the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality of the Committee on Energy and Commerce - United States House of Representatives

Innovation, Jobs, and Energy Independence: Reinvigorating the Domestic Auto IndustryHearing before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming - United States House of Representatives

End Discriminatory State Taxes for Automobile Renters Act of 2009Hearing before the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law of the Committee on the Judiciary - United States House of Representatives

Volt Vehicle Fire: What Did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It?Hearing before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending of the Committee on Oversight and Government ReformUnited States House of Representatives

September 20, 2007The Energy Independence Implications of the Auto Bailout Proposal, Part 1Duration: 1:44:39Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming - The Energy Independence Implications of the Auto Bailout Proposal (Part 1 of 2) - As Congress considers a multi-billion dollar program of loans to America's auto industry, many measures of success or failure exist for the industry and the government's attempts to help the automakers. Chief among those measures of success is how effectively America's auto industry, and the industry as a whole, is transformed to build cars for the future that reduce our dependence on oil. Will the auto industry meet the fuel economy rules passed by Congress and signed into law nearly a year ago, which could revitalize the industry? Should American taxpayers expect even higher fuel economy performance in return for their investment of additional billions in loans? Do the auto companies' plans impair their ability to meet the current fuel economy regime? A panel of auto industry and fuel economy experts will discuss these issues and other energy implications of the automotive industry loan program at a hearing tomorrow before Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Chairman Markey authored the House language that became the current fuel economy standards of at least 35 mile per gallon by 2020. Witnesses: Ms. Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen; Mr. Reuben Munger, Chairman and Co-founder, Bright Automotive; Dr. Peter Morici, Professor of International Business, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland; Mr. Geoff Wardle, Director of Advanced Mobility Research, Art Center College of Design; Mr. Richard Curless, Chief Technical Officer, MAG Industrial Automation Systems. Video provided by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Download The Energy Independence Implications of the Auto Bailout Proposal, Part 1 from The Internet Archive

September 20, 2007The Energy Independence Implications of the Auto Bailout Proposal, Part 2Duration: 50:52Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming - The Energy Independence Implications of the Auto Bailout Proposal (Part 2 of 2) - As Congress considers a multi-billion dollar program of loans to America's auto industry, many measures of success or failure exist for the industry and the government's attempts to help the automakers. Chief among those measures of success is how effectively America's auto industry, and the industry as a whole, is transformed to build cars for the future that reduce our dependence on oil. Will the auto industry meet the fuel economy rules passed by Congress and signed into law nearly a year ago, which could revitalize the industry? Should American taxpayers expect even higher fuel economy performance in return for their investment of additional billions in loans? Do the auto companies' plans impair their ability to meet the current fuel economy regime? A panel of auto industry and fuel economy experts will discuss these issues and other energy implications of the automotive industry loan program at a hearing tomorrow before Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Chairman Markey authored the House language that became the current fuel economy standards of at least 35 mile per gallon by 2020. Witnesses: Ms. Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen; Mr. Reuben Munger, Chairman and Co-founder, Bright Automotive; Dr. Peter Morici, Professor of International Business, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland; Mr. Geoff Wardle, Director of Advanced Mobility Research, Art Center College of Design; Mr. Richard Curless, Chief Technical Officer, MAG Industrial Automation Systems. Video provided by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Download The Energy Independence Implications of the Auto Bailout Proposal, Part 2 from The Internet Archive

June 12, 2009Automobile Dealership Closures, Part 1Duration: 1:35:58House Energy and Commerce - Automobile Dealership Closures - 286995-1-DVD - House Energy and Commerce Committee. Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Witnesses examined the recent auto dealership closures announced by Chrysler and General Motors. Chrysler plans to close 789 dealerships this week and GM wants to eliminate approximately 2,500 of its 6,000 dealerships by the end of next year. The automakers said that large dealer networks now represent a drain on the companies. They argued that they would save billions on support costs, incentive payments and other costs by closing dealerships that perform poorly or do not fit restructuring plans. Auto dealers said closing so many dealerships would eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, hurt local economies and do little to improve the automakers' long-term prospects.
Download Automobile Dealership Closures, Part 1 from The Internet Archive

June 12, 2009Automobile Dealership Closures, Part 2Duration: 2:38:11House Energy and Commerce - Automobile Dealership Closures, Continuation - 286995-2-DVD - House Energy and Commerce Committee. Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Automotive industry executives and auto dealers continued their testimony following a vote break for committee members. Witnesses examined the recent auto dealership closures announced by Chrysler and General Motors. Chrysler plans to close 789 dealerships this week and GM wants to eliminate approximately 2,500 of its 6,000 dealerships by the end of next year. The automakers said that large dealer networks now represent a drain on the companies. They argued that they would save billions on support costs, incentive payments and other costs by closing dealerships that perform poorly or do not fit restructuring plans. Auto dealers said closing so many dealerships would eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, hurt local economies and do little to improve the automakers' long-term prospects.
Download Automobile Dealership Closures, Part 2 from The Internet Archive

Statement of J. Dexter Peach, Director, Resources, Community and Economic Development Division before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection, and Finance, House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Activities Involving Ford Transmission "Park-to-Reverse" IncidentsU.S. General Accounting Office

Foreign Direct Investment in the U.S. Automobile Industry: Statement of Allan I. Mendelowitz, Senior Associate Director, National Security and International Affairs Division before the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade, House Committee on Foreign AffairsU.S. General Accounting Office

Minivans from JapanDetermination of the Commission in Investigation No. 731-TA-522 (Final) Under the Tariff Act of 1930, Together With the Information Obtained in the InvestigationU.S. International Trade Commission

The NARA is responsible for publishing many of the United States federal governments' regulations in the form of the Code of Federal Regulations (the government's "law book" of regulations) and the Federal Register (a daily notification of changes to the CFR). Notifications from the Federal Register may be found in the Articles section of The Crittenden Automotive Library.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA Launchpad: Team PenskeDuration: 3:32This NASA video segment explores how NASCAR uses NASA technologies to provide safer stock cars for drivers. One example is the problem NASCAR drivers were experiencing with increased levels of carbon monoxide in their cars due to combustion. The NASCAR race team PENSKE designed a catalytic air filter to remove airborne particles supplying fresher air for drivers. Another borrowed technology is the thermal protection system NASA uses for the space shuttle's re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere. Thermal protection is also used inside race cars to reduce the amount of heat caused by the stock car’s roof and confined space. Full-scale wind tunnel tests are run on stock cars at NASA Langley Research Center.
Download NASA Launchpad: Team Penske from The Internet Archive

14 April 201614-15564 Tamera Torres-Martinez v. USAUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitTamera Torres-Martinez appeals the district court's judgment in her Federal Tort Claims Act action seeking to recover damages for injuries she received in a motor vehicle accident with an employee of the United States Postal Service.Download 14-15564 Tamera Torres-Martinez v. USA - 289MB - 29:04

January 2017 - August 2017Trump speaking at the Republican National Convention in 2016Photo by VOA News
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August 2017 - Current170527-N-OY339-372 SIGONELLA, Sicily (May 27, 2017) President Donald J. Trump speaks to service members and their families onboard Naval Air Station Sigonella during an all-hands call. This visit marks President Trump’s last stop of his first trip abroad since taking office. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Gordon/Released)
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